The Straits Times

The Straits Times, morning daily newspaper published in Singapore, generally recognized as one of the outstanding English-language papers of the Far East.

It was founded in 1845 as a single-sheet weekly by Robert Carr Woods to provide commercial information needed by Singapore’s bustling port community. The paper became a daily in 1858. Its facilities were destroyed by fire in 1869, but the paper did not miss an issue. Under Alexander William Still, editor in the early 1900s, The Straits Times promoted local causes, including higher education for Singapore’s large Chinese, Indian, and Malay population.

The Straits Times’s makeup and typographical style give it a British appearance. It seeks to balance local and international news coverage so as to reach the broadest possible readership. In 1956 it established a Malaysian edition, The New Straits Times, in Kuala Lumpur, and in the 1960s and 1970s The Straits Times modernized its plant and installed computerized typesetting and editorial equipment. With editions in English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil, The Straits Times, New Straits Times, and their affiliates circulate wider than any other papers in Singapore and Malaysia.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn, Managing Editor.

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